and not diet perscription food. In USA they believe in giving RAW meat to cats with Renal problems and they seem to live longer on this. Has anyone gone first hand knowledge on this if so what else would I have to mix with the fresh chicken or rabbit. Any help please would be great. I love my cat and what to help him as much as I can, Thanks.
The prescription foods for cats with renal failure are low in protein, so that the weakened kidneys don’t have to work as hard. They also are lower in certain minerals which the kidneys have to work to excrete, such as phosphorus. A diet heavy in fish or meat, such as chicken or rabbit, would be too high in protein. Egg also provides protein and other nutrients, but again, too much of it will be rough on your cat’s kidneys. You will want to give some protein, but diluted with vegetable “fillers”. Some “fillers”, however, would have the wrong minerals, such as potatoes.
Ask your vet if (s)he has a recipe for homemade kidney-friendly cat food. I know that some vets recommend particular mixtures, such as cooked rice with hard boiled egg.
As far as raw meat vs. cooked is concerned, be aware that raw meat may contain parasites or other disease-causing organisms, and will also go bad much faster. I am not aware of any negative effect that cooked meat has on the kidneys.
May I ask why you don’t want to use a commercial prescription cat food? My cat did very well on Science Diet k/d. It was expensive, and because I had to buy it from a vet, was not as convenient as Cat Chow, but homemade food would have been far more expensive and less convenient. If you have a particular concern about commerical foods, there may be another way of dealing with the problem besides homemade food.
EDIT TO ADD:
Organ meat is especially bad for those with weak kidneys. My parents could not eat it even on dialysis.
Keep in mind that if the low-protein kidney-friendly diet sounds “unnatural”, that’s because it is. However, not everything “unnatural” is bad in every situation. The “natural” result of kidney failure is prompt death. My elderly cat lived for years with failing kidneys, and I believe it was in part due to veterinary care and a carefully managed diet.
I take it you’re not in the US? Either way, you should be able to use my blog to learn more about raw feeding, even if my suggested suppliers won’t work for you.
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You are making a good decision for your kitty. A raw diet will give him the best chance at a healthy life. The following websites will help you in your search for education on how to care for your cat with CRF including proper food choices. http://www.brandnamepetsupplies.com/store/reptileamphibian/lighting/index.htm " /> The rest of this post is my standard answer on feeding raw because you will definitely need to research it before feeding it.
I personally feed a ground Raw Meat, Bones and Organ based diet to my cats and they are incredibly healthy on it. I HIGHLY recommend it. While scary at first, once I got the hang of it and felt comfortable with it it’s a snap to prepare.
Cats are obligate carnivores after all and must derive ALL their nutrients from meat based sources. They are unable to absorb them from any other source. Despite thousands of years of domestication they remain strictly carnivorous. True and honest meat eaters and that is what they need most. Protein from meat!
If you are interested in feeding a raw diet some great places to start learning are http://www.brandnamepetsupplies.com/store/reptileamphibian/lighting/index.htm " , http://www.brandnamepetsupplies.com/store/reptileamphibian/lighting/index.htm " , and http://www.brandnamepetsupplies.com/store/reptileamphibian/lighting/index.htm " .
If you would like to try raw with your cats and don’t want to get all technical about it but want to try a trusted, time tested and balanced raw diet you can order from http://www.brandnamepetsupplies.com/store/reptileamphibian/lighting/index.htm " . I purchased this myself when I first started and my cats loved it!
Another premade Raw you can try is Natures Varity. I personally have never used this but know many people that do and it’s pretty easy to find http://www.brandnamepetsupplies.com/store/reptileamphibian/lighting/index.htm " /> Here’s a bunch of websites to help you learn what you need to know.
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